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Celebrities, couple, and Austin residents Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey are embarking on what has become a well-trodden path for famous people: making their own booze. The McConaugheys co-founded Pantalones Tequila, which includes three types, the blanco, the reposado, and the anejo, all made with blue weber agave in a distillery in Amatitán, Jalisco. The company is also part of global organization 1 Percent for the Planet, where they will donate one dollar from every bottle sold to sustainable-minded nonprofits.
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Austin burger restaurant expands into San Marcos
North Austin fast-casual restaurant Buddy’s Burger is opening its second location in San Marcos this week. The restaurant and drive-thru will be found at 927 Texas Highway 80 starting on Thursday, October 26. Its opening day will include free T-shirts for the first 100 people and Texas State students can get free lemonades or a discounted T-shirt for the first month with proof of ID. Co-founders and siblings Zain Fidai and Isha Fidai started Buddy’s in 2020. There are still plans to open another location up in Round Rock, with the goal of opening sometime in 2024.
Tracking Austin-area chain restaurant openings
Dallas-based fast-casual chain restaurant Velvet Taco opened its third Austin-area location this month. It’s found at 2131 North I-35 in Round Rock as of October 23. It serves up its menu of new-school tacos. There’s a mural by Houston-based group Eyeful Art depicting Round Rock’s history. This is also Velvet Taco’s overall 29th Texas restaurant.
And then San Francisco-based fast-casual chain Ike’s Love & Sandwiches opened its sixth Austin-area location this month too. It’s found at 9828 Great Hills Trail in the Arboretum as of October 19. It’ll host a grand opening party about a month later on Saturday, November 18, where the first 50 people will get a free sandwich, a T-shirt, and the opportunity to win free sandwiches for a year.
South Korean-French international bakery chain Paris Baguette will be opening its second-ever Austin-area location in Cedar Park sometime in 2024, as reported by Community Impact. There is no set address yet though.
